


Reach for the Sun

by Heavens_Door



Category: Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-05-29 19:45:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15080387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heavens_Door/pseuds/Heavens_Door
Summary: In a different facet of the Kaleidoscope, Emiya Kiritsugu chose differently.





	1. 03/21/2009

Mid-afternoon in Manila was always difficult, especially during the wet season. The heat mixed with the humidity to form the worst type of conditions, exacerbated further by the sheer density of life and structures in the sprawling metropolis. Thousands still walked the streets despite this, which suited Kiritsugu Emiya just fine. For a person of his profession the best camouflage was the crowds, and few places in the world were as crowded as the capital of the Philippines. Despite that he kept his guard up. He was in a nation that was the bastion of the Church in the East, and he already spotted at least four agents tailing him. His objective was not related in any way to the church so the chances of executors attacking him were low, but Kiritsugu did not survive this long by being careless. 

He walked for hours, passing through affluent and impoverished districts alike. He was taking the long road, as requested by his current employers to be inconspicuous. They were to meet at Intramuros district, the old city where their residence was located after he had shaken off. That did not seem to work, as when he across the pier he detected a familiar floating above him, disguised as a bird. Even the Association was keeping watch. He had expected as much, which was why he advised against his employer's request in the first place. If it had been up to him, Kiritsugu would have arranged their meeting place to a rural town in the southern part of the country where the Church's influence was weakest, set the time at night and used intermediaries, but his employer was adamant. Five in the afternoon, at his personal abode.

Time would tell if Kiritsugu was going to regret his decision to accept this job. He had as of late preferred to take safe, quick jobs, even if they did not pay as well. But few of his contracts were as they seemed, and this one stank of secrets and conspiracy. Generally speaking he could say the same for all the jobs he had ever taken, but this one was worse than the others if only due to how low his pay was. Seventy thousand dollars meant he was barely breaking even, but his employer had at least assured him of paying for extra costs he may incur. 

It was a quarter to five now, and Kiritsugu was still being followed. Worse, the number of would-be assailants had only increased. By the time he had reached the banks of the Pasig river he was practically surrounded. Considering that it was still daytime, Kiritsugu did not think that they would try to box him in so early. In his opinion it was a reckless move, especially out in the open. He could detect at least twenty possible assailants lurking around him. Most looked like local agents of the Church, but now he could sense the presence of at least two mages. They were not that difficult to spot to be honest, but that in itself was a dangerous portent. It could either mean they were soon about to attack, or that they wished to provoke Kiritsugu into acting rashly. 

He stopped just by the side of the bridge he needed to cross, leaning down on a low wall. The river was murky with grime, but this was an improvement from the old days when the Pasig was downright toxic. By now it was ten to five, and the sun was beginning its descent to night. The heat was starting to let up, but only barely. Kiritsugu knew he needed to keep moving and try to shake off the men and women following him, but he did not have the time for that. In a few moments they were going to surround him, then either try to dispose of him discretely or take the package. Most likely they would attempt both at once. 

Assuming of course, that Kiritsugu did not prepare countermeasures beforehand.

Barely visible, a small butterfly perched onto the would-be assailant closest to the Magus Killer, a bespectacled women in a smart, black suit. It fluttered its wings twice before settling on her back, just under the nape of her neck. Similar small creatures also crept upon the other followers. One was a spider, another an ant. Besides their size and their lack of spines, each animal had two more similarities that were not readily apparent; they were made of thin piano wire, and glimmered in a faint blue glow.

One by one, each target fell into a haze. Their eyes clouded, their posture slackened, and they slowly turned away, wandering off in any direction as long as it did not lead across the bridge to Intramuros. Even a few of the birds flying up above him suddenly made an above face and flew away from Kiritsugu, Given how pigeons were a somewhat cliche type of familiar used for surveillance by mages, he was unsurprised. 

It was now five in the afternoon. Should Kiritsugu have delayed further, he would be late. It was time to proceed with the mission.

As he walked over the bridge, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Only one person would call him at this time, right on schedule.

"Got them! See, I told you we could do this without killing anyone." 

Kiritsugu sighed. There could be no disagreeing with his wife on this one, especially in light of how her ploy worked. The spells Irie used to befuddle the meddling agents were complex works of magecraft that had little guarantee of working when used against experienced magi or trained agents of the church. But that was the difference between a magus of the Einzbern family and those of younger bloodlines. What would be difficult for even scions of esteemed clans was child's play for her.

"Thank you. I'll be moving in to finish the mission. Please attend to the children."

"Leysritt and Sella are watching them, don't worry." Irisviel giggled. "But this is the last time you mix work with our vacation time. Come back to the hotel when you're done."

She hanged up. All things considered, Kiritsugu got off easy. He was quite certain that Irie would mete out a worse punishment, but letting her have her way with the mission no doubt placated his strong-willed wife. Now that this was taken care off, and with about twenty minutes to spare, he proceeded to stroll leisurely to his target's domicile. It may have felt unprofessional, but even the Magus Killer deserved to take it easy once in a while, as Irie relentlessly drilled into his head.

Smooth cement gave way to old cobblestone as Kiritsugu continued the mission. At the pace Kiritsugu kept, he arrived at the meeting site with six minutes to spare. By this point he saw no reason to delay any further. He stopped in front of an old house, a structure of grey stone and whitewashed wood in the old colonial style of this country, and knocked at the door.

It creaked, but in a way that seemed to be a deliberate affectation. "Ah, you're early. I am Purisita Manbarabang, your client. You're more handsome than you look on video, boy."

Kiritsugu was thankful that he had not brought Irie with him, or else he wouldn't hear the end of it. "I have the package." He fished out a brown envelope from his coat. 

An old woman with rugged dark skin eagerly took the envelope from Kiritsugu. She'd been dressed in an old, sleeveless top and borderline ragged shorts, an oddity given how the average mage preferred to dress like an aristocrat. But the Manbarabangs were an old clan of magi who predated even the coming of Islam to the region, and payed lip service to the traditions of the Association at best. 

"Good, good. And it's unopened as well." The old woman beamed. "Wasn't even curious, are we?"

"It was not relevant to the job, madame."

"And you call yourself a magus." Purisita looked disappointed. "Though given the circumstance your father went through I can see why you're not so eager to seek the Great Work of the Magi. Pity, pity."

"You could say that, madame." Kiritsugu felt the urge to smoke. 

"What you just gave me are old pages from a tome the founder of my family wrote." Purisita went on. "The original was destroyed by the Church centuries ago, but as it turns out a few pages survived and were stored in an old library in Madrid. We had copies of the tome, but possessing even pieces of the original is important to us."

Hearing that, Kiritsugu was even more certain with his decision not to bring Irie. That was not a line of thinking that she would like to hear. "I see."

"Well, a handsome man like you must have other business besides returning to someone their great great grandfather's personal possessions." Purisita took Kiritsugu's hand and shook it. "Your pay will be sent to your account, as promised."

His business done, Kiritsugu shook the old woman's hand and left. An item that innocuous should not have garnered the attention of the Church or the Association's agents, but it did not surprise him at all that they sent people at him anyway. They had been doing that with all of Kiritsugu's missions as of late. It was a nuisance, but he had to live with it. At the very least, none of them made any moves against family, not yet.

Before he could continue with this line of thought, his phone rang again.

"Are you finished yet? Illya and Shirou are getting worried that their papa isn't back yet." 

Kiritsugu allowed himself to smile. Whatever fears he had could wait until his vacation ended. For him, being with his family took priority over everything.

Even his dream, as it turned out.


	2. 09/14/2016

Deny it all they want, but the World of Man could accomplish things the World of Mages could only dream of. Despite touting the achievements they have accumulated over the course of millennia, it ultimately mattered little if enough humans observing it would weaken their secrets to the point of obsolescence. By contrast, the Arts of Man continued to thrive, ever advancing beyond the horizon.

Take the internet, for example. Devices numbering in the billions, connected by an invisible network that spans the entirety of the globe, allowing for the free exchange of information at almost instantaneous speeds. It was like magic, though many mages would protest such a comparison of the ultimate miracle of magecraft with petty baubles made by commoners to spread knowledge to the undeserving.

Nevertheless, for the scions of more progressive magus families, those who did not fear the march of time, it was a useful tool. More reliable than the arcane scrying relics of old and less susceptible to magical tampering, the internet was a useful means of communication. But for true innovators, it could be something much more. 

In a traditional Japanese home somewhere in Fuyuki City, a young woman was standing outside of the door to her home. It was early morning, around four or five at her reckoning, and she was shivering from the cold. Though it was technically springtime, winter evidently did not get the memo. The cup of cocoa she had brewed helped somewhat, but not for long, as it was going cold fast. Common sense told her to return to the house, turn on the kotatsu and envelop herself in its warmth, but some things were worth enduring a little pneumonia for.   
Fortunately for her, the young woman need not endure any longer. Fifteen minutes into her vigil, the early morning silence was abruptly broken. The rumbling of a large vehicle moving up the road was followed by the hissing sound of air brakes being used. These sounds were soon followed by that of doors opening, ramps being pulled down and dollies lifting heavy wooden boxes. The urge to jump for joy was strong, but so was the urge not to spill her now lukewarm cocoa. 

An old man in a bright red jumpsuit walked over to the young woman, a clipboard resting under his arm. "Package for the Emiya residence for an Emiya Illyasviel?"

"Yes it is, thank you." The young woman smiled. "That's me."

The old man handed her the clipboard. "Just sign here, and here. Gotta say, we haven't done a rush delivery like this in a long time. Must be something important."

"Oh, very." She said, checking her pockets for a pen. "I've been waiting for it to arrive for a while."

"Glad I could help get it to you, if that's the case." The old man took out a pen from his pocket and handed it to the girl before him. "Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, but are you Japanese? It's just that with that name and your hair and eyes..."

Illya stiffed a groan. Needless to say, she was asked that question a lot. "On my father's side. My mother is German."

"Well isn't that something."The old man looked impressed. "So where do you want the crate?"

"Just leave it here, I can handle it." She quickly jotted down her signature. "Thank you again."

The old man checked the clipboard, making sure everything that needed to be signed was signed. "No problem Ma'am."

"Whatever." She muttered.

With the challenge of waiting for the package now surmounted, Illya now had an even greater ordeal that she had to deal with. By hastily sending the deliverymen away, she was left alone to carry to the large wooden crate she had ordered. Unless of course, she asked for help. But she would not, for to ask for his help would be a blow to her pride. 

"This can't be too hard." She said to herself. Sure, even though the crate needed a dolly to be moved by a pair of brawny deliverymen, she was certain that with hard work and perseverance, a skinny woman who was barely five feet in height could move mountains.

Anytime now.

Eventually.

*I've made a huge mistake*, her inner voice said, as her valiant efforts finally bore fruit. Through hard work and sheer gumption, Emiya Illyasviel succeeded in pushing the crate through the doorway. But alas, the energy expended had taken its toll on her.

She was exhausted. Her arms were numb, and her brow covered in sweat. She was slumped against the crate, wiping herself with the sleeves of her pajamas. Her mother would scold her if she'd seen this, but neither she nor her father was at home, or even in the country; as usual, they were abroad, hard at work at the family business. No one was going to help her.

"Sis, you awake? I thought I heard crying." Droned a groggy voice.

Well, except for her little brother.

A young man in traditional japanese garb shuffled himself through the small space left in the doorway that wasn't blocked. His red hair stood in contrast with Illya's silver-white, but the tired expression he wore was the same as his sister's.

"Shirou! You're awake!" Illya cried.

"Sis-"

"BIG Sister." Illya interrupted. "Did you make breakfast yet?"

Shirou sighed. "I was about to, Big Sister. The rice is cooking, but I had to stop when I heard some sobbing."

"I wasn't sobbing!" Illya said. "Merely sweating through my eyes."

"Sure, sure." Shirou yawned. He'd gotten up early today as well, though not as early as his sibling.

As Vice-Captain of the Archery Club at his school, Shirou had a number of responsibilities that his more carefree older sister did not have. Today was tryout day, and he had to make preparations for all the aspiring club members. Unfortunately, he might be late.

The younger Emiya pinched his nose. Really, he shouldn't be bothering with this, but he knew his sister and how she acted. "I'll get the cart."

Illya blinked. "Wait we have one of those?" 

They did, thankfully. As usual, Illya had neglected to check the shed for the tools she needed. Annoying, given that she practically lived in there nowadays, especially with their parents away. A few seconds of agonizing heaving passed by, and finally the accursed crate was carried inside the house.

"I would've figured it out eventually, you know that right my little brother?" Illya said, holding her now empty mug as if it was a consolation prize.

There was no fighting the women of the Emiya family, as his father often said. "Sure, sure. You are the clever one after all."

"Of course I am." She slapped the crate. "After all, only a voyager of the stars such as myself can revolutionize magecraft as we know it!"

Hearing that stopped Shirou from making another sarcastic remark. "Wait, this is the server?"   
"It is." Illya gave her brother the smuggest of smug grins. "Brought over from a friend in Egypt."

Shirou snorted. "You really do have friends, huh Big Sis?"

Being the mature, wiser sibling, Illya merely responded by punching Shirou's arm and not by throwing the mug at his face. "What has happened to my adorable heroic little brother? Why has he been replaced by a sassy idiot who hurts his cool, awe-inspiring big sister who can beat him to a pulp where she so inclined?" 

"No magecraft in the house, except in the shed, and when we're in the house." Shirou repeated his father's words. While he may have been physically stronger, Illya could wipe the floor with not just him, but even his parents if magecraft was also taken into account. And Illya does not restrain herself "So, it'll really work?"

They pushed the cart into the shed. Admittedly, Shirou was surprised it even fit. This was not the first delivery of magical tools sent to the Emiya residence since their parents left.

"I'll know when I plug it in tonight." Illya said. "My connections would've followed my instructions to the letter, so everything will be as I planned it."

That did not reassure Shirou at all. Chances are those people from the Association would come knocking again if Illya caused another near-catastrophe. They wouldn't hear the end of it from their parents if she caused another mess. Even so, he really wanted Illya to succeed. Not just because she was family, but because Shirou wanted to see something amazing. 

"Well, if it breaks down you can count on me Big Sis." Shirou said. 

"I may need your help in this hypothetical instance where my plans hit a snag, yes." Illya said. "Theoretically, of course."

With that chore done, the Emiya siblings returned back into their home, making a beeline for the dining area. The smell of freshly cooked rice permeated in the air. Shirou had some old saury in the fridge that he felt needed eating, but with how hungry he and his sister were feeling at the moment they might just not bother cooking and have some tamago gohan.

As they entered the building through the back, Shirou felt the walls until he found the light switch. It was a necessary precaution, as upon opening the lights it revealed several pieces of paper on the floor as a hamper of dirty laundry, and most annoying of all, a box full of textbooks.

Illya gave Shirou a pointed look. "Shirou."

Shirou countered with a sharper stare. "Illyasviel."

"She's here isn't she, dear brother Shirou?"

The younger Emiya sibling closed his eyes and sniffed the air. Amidst the smell of dirty clothes was the familiar scent of fresh rice mixed in with that of soy sauce and egg. "And she's not alone, dear sister Illyasviel."

As it turns out, they weren't alone in thinking that some fresh egg mixed with hot, steaming rice and soy sauce would hit the spot right about now. Expertly making their way through the mess in the hallway towards the partly-open dining room door, the two siblings find that someone had already partaken of their food. In fact, there were two.

The first was an adult woman with short brown hair, clad in a long teal jacket and a striped yellow dress. She scarfed down her bowl of rice, scattering grains all over the table with each hasty bite. She paused upon hearing that the sliding doors had slid slightly more open, and when she saw who had entered, ate even faster.

The other was a pig-tailed brunette teenager, dressed in Homurahara academy uniform. She ate at a less frantic pace than her older companion, and actually put her bowl down when Illya and Shirou came in. She coughed twice, trying to get the attention of the adult with them. It was a wasted effort, but she needed to look like she tried. 

"You left the door open." The teenager explained. 

Shirou sighed deeply. He did not exactly have the energy to deal with this, nor did he want to. He shuffled over to the kitchen to get himself a bowl of rice and some eggs.

Illya however, always had energy for outrage, and pointed her finger at the two trespassers. "That doesn't give neither you nor Fuji-nee the right to barge into our house and eat MY-"

"OUR." Shirou corrected.

"-food! Shame on you Rin, is this what the great Tohsaka family has been reduced to? J'accuse! J'accuse!"

Rin was not ashamed. "Didn't work the last four or five times we came over for food, and it isn't working now Princess Emiya."

As he crossed the kitchen counter and sat down next to Rin, a pair of tamago gohans in hand, Shirou groaned. "Let's just eat already, what's done is done sis. Oh, Fuji-nee, is that your laundry in the hallway?"

Fuji-nee, full name Taiga Fujimura, almost choked on her food. "That's right, that's right! Ehehe, I may have blown up my washing machine by accident, so I was hoping that-"

"I'll come by later to fix it." Shirou said.

"Ah, you guys are the best." Taiga chugged an entire can of iced coffee in one go and stood up. "Well gotta go, those papers aren't going to grade themselves, thanks for the food and also for washing my clothes!"

They all watched Taiga leave, listening to her frantic footsteps and the cacaphonic noise her moped made when it did anything. Only when they were sure she had left did the three resume talking.

"So going to use magecraft to fix it, Shirou?" Illya asked as she picked up her chopsticks. 

"It's good practice." Shirou said.  
"You're wasting your gifts, you know that right?" Rin sniffed. "Using advanced magecraft on primitive technology, really."

"Says the girl who almost got killed by a roomba." Illya grinned.

"Those abominations are phantasmals in disguise!" Rin blushed.

The Emiya siblings chuckled, though Shirou at least tried to restrain himself. "Come on, after all Fuji-nee does for us?"

"Like eat our food..." Illya said.

"Show up at random completely hammered..." Rin added.

"That one time she took driving lessons with mom and almost ran over the mayor..." Shirou said.

After that they ate in silence, mostly because they were too hungry otherwise. They ended up finishing as quickly as Taiga, but unlike her Rin stayed and helped clean up while the Emiya siblings got changed to their uniforms. 

They soon left the Emiya residence, taking a leisurely walk to school. It was still early for Rin and Illya, though Shirou was trying to think of what to say to the others at the Archery club. While he bemoaned his plight and wished loudly that Illya would be more responsible, neither of the two girls with him were interested in his complaining.

"So, you're actually going to do the test tonight?" Rin asked Illya. "You sure that's safe without your folks around?"

"They wouldn't even let me conduct the test if they were here!" Illya said. "This is my only shot, but if I play this right, I'm sure they'll let me go to London next year."

"Or set the house on fire and being confined to your room for the next decade." Shirou said.

"Good luck with that." Rin snorted. "No really, I mean it. I might even be around to lend some of the Tohsaka genius in case things go wrong."

Shirou smiled. "Well I still think it's a long shot, but you are a natural at magecraft sis. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"Of course." Illya once again was eye sweating. "Of course I can, I'm Emiya Illyasviel."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IRL stuff's been a mental drain, but after 3 weeks or so I'm finally done with chapter 2.
> 
> Needless to say, things are a lot different in this au, especially with Shirou, Rin and Illya. I know that this chapter just puts up more questions than answers, but I promise that the next chapter should clear up some stuff.

**Author's Note:**

> It's good to do some fic writing again after taking a long break from it. Since lately I've been really into the nasuverse series I decided to do my first long fic in a while about a somewhat popular subject, 'What if the Emiya-Einzberns were allowed to be happy?'. The story initially started out as an au grail war, but I think it'd be better to do something differently.


End file.
